Our
Past and Our Future

A special thanks to
Paul Curry for sharing this wonderful information 03-12-2001

Reference: Pike
County History and Families 1816-1987

The Writer is indebted to Paul McClure of Millerstown for some of the
information relating, to this prominent Sonora family. Kegley’s Virginia
Frontier is a source of some history of the Masons of early day Southwestern
Virginia, of some generations before -William Mason, son of John Mason Jr., of
Botetourt County, Virginia, came to Green County, Kentucky, to settle and where
he died in 1802. John Mason Jr. is recorded as being a Revolutionary War
cavalryman

"The name, John Mason, is associated with many different places on the
Southwest (Virginia) frontier. It is found in the eastern part of Old Brunswick,
in Bedford (county) and in different parts of the Roanoke Valley. We have
learned that John Mason, of the Roanoke, lived on Back Creek where he died, and
that he had played an active part in the affairs of the community. His will
made. on October 12, 1760, and proved on August 18, 1761, shows the approximate
date of his death. He gave his son, John, 270 acres of land on Mason's Creek; to
son, James, 150 acres on Back Creek; to son, William, 250 acres on Grassy Hill
Branch; to youngest son, Joseph, the home place, 135 acres. Mother, Leah, -was
to have 25 pounds (English money?) in cash; daughter, Jannet, a natural pacing
mare; daughter, Mary, a 'dapple gray mare'; and daughter, Margaret a black mare.
The remainder of the estate was to be divided among all. He named W@ Boyd, of
the North Fork of Otter River and his brother-in-law, James McKeachey, as
executors. James McKeachey qualified with sureties, . . . His appraisement was
made August 1761.... There were 21 horses (7 mares with colts and a gray
stallion), 10 cows and calves, 1 wagon and gears, valued at 10 pounds, 2
saddles, 2 books, 2 Bibles, an old book, a pair of silver buckles, a parcel of
lumber and numerous household articles. It is probable that he brought the wagon
with him when he came into the country twenty years earlier."

That John Mason was in the Augusta County section of Virginia at a very early
date is evidenced by court records. In November, 1746, the Court designated two
roads through the Roanoke Valley, the one on the North Fork, the other on the
South Branch.... On the South Branch James Campbell and Mark Evans were
overseers, with ... John Mason ... and others.

Numerous other land records are found as to John Mason (Sr.) and his sons.
(In those early days a man's wealth was often calculated by the amount of land
he owned.) When John Mason came to Back Creek of Roanoke in 1750, his neighbors
were his brother-in-law, James, McKeachey and Robert Poage. The Back Creek
neighborhood was an extension of the Great Lick settlement: "Although
Joseph Mason inherited a good tract of land in. his father's home place, he is
credited on the property list of 1783, with only one horse and one cow. James
came an extensive land owner and occupied many important positions. He was an
ensign in Captain Neely’s Company, Deputy Sheriff, Lieutenant in Captain
Richardson's Company in 1789, Captain of Militia in 1790 Sheriff in 1795,
Justice in 1797, Overseer of the Poor in 1798, and Coroner in 1800, soon after
which time he died. William was interested enough in his land to get an
inclusive survey and increase his holdings on' Grassy Creek." In 1783,
Joseph Mason was listed in Captain John Neely’s Company.

Botetourt County, Virginia, was formed in 1770, from a part of Augusta County
and members of the Mason family were then living as residents of the new county
Botetourt was soon divided into other counties. John Mason Jr., is referred to
"of Botetourt County Virginia."

William Mason, son of the above John Mason Jr. married Sarah McKeachey
(Likely a cousin as grandmother was Leah McKeachey) They were married in
Virginia some years before the Revolution, as their daughter, Jane Mason, is
recorded as marrying John McCandless in Virginia, in 1785, in Greenbrier County
of that state. (There was a John McCandless listed in Captain Robert
McClenachan's Company of Volunteers Botetourt County at the Battle of Point
Pleasant in October, 1774.)

In addition to daughter Jane Mason, William and Sarah McKeachey Mason were
parents of twelve other children: James Mason, who married in Green County
Kentucky, Sarah Feland July 28, 1787 (Green County was established in 1792);
Frances Mason, who married Andrew Feland: Elizabeth Mason, who married Thomas
Love; Richard Mason, who married in Green County March 26, 1793, Anna Davis;
Nancy Mason who married in Green County October 11, 1794, Joseph Hutchison, a
son of Reverend Samuel Byron Hutchison and ________ (Porterfield) Hutchison;
Lettice Mason, who married in Lincoln County, Kentucky October 3, 1796, Reuben
Danban; Margaret Mason, who married in Adair County, Kentucky, Davis
Chamberlain; John Mason, the ninth child, and ancestor of the Mason family of
Sonora, who married: March 17, 1797, Hannah Hutchison, daughter of David and
Hannah (?) Hutchison; Rachel Mason who married in Green County October 29 1798,
Asberry Vanderver; Mary (Polly) Mason, who married Nicholas Burks (almost
certainly the ancestor of the Millerstown/Upton line of the Burks family);
Thomas (or Thompson) Mason who married in Green County July 19,1803, Mary Fair;
Hugh Mason, who married in Green County October 27,1812, Frances Reynolds.

The above John Mason and his wife, Hannah Hutchison, were parents of twelve
children of whom there are records of two Nancy Mason, born in 1798, who married
Jessee Davis, and john Mason Jr. born 1806, died 1855, who was twice married;
(1) to Matilda Spourrier, born 1809, by whom he had six children, and (2) to
Isabella Marriott, by whom he has a daughter, Isabelle.

The six children of John Mason Jr. and Matilda Spurrier Mason were:

1. W. Thomas Mason born October 17, 1837, died May 12, 1916. His wife Mary
_____, born February 27, 1841, died May 15, 1911. They lived at Sonora, had two
children; George Hays Mason, born November 11, 1871, died September 10, 1954,
married Anna Jeffries, daughter of Thomas Jeffries and his wife Mattie Highbaugh,
their daughter, Mary Gertrude Mason was born December 29, 1898, died august 11,
1951; and Edward Brashier Mason, who married Birdie Jefferies, sister of above
Anna Jefferies.

2. Joseph j Mason, born 1839, died 1926, twice married (1) ______, married
(2) Emily A Perry, born 1838, died 1915. A son born to first marriage was John E
Mason, born January 30, 1866, died October 28, 1906, married Nannie E Williams
born 1873, died 1958, had a son Joseph C Mason, born 1890, died 1954, unmarried.

3. David Mason, born 1842

4. James Polk Mason, born January 26, 1845, died November 1, 1918, who
married Nancy Brashear, born November 22, 1850, died December 15, 1928. Parents
of two children David Wilber Mason, born December 21, 1871, died July 30, 1931,
married Maude Bland, born April 3, 1881, died December 15, 1913, a daughter of
William Henry Bland and Elizabeth (Akers) Bland; Robert Levi Mason born October
30, 1870, died August 12, 1950, married Gertrude Bland (sister of above Maude
Bland). She was born December 5, 1883, died May 29, 1954. The Mason brothers
were merchants in Sonora for a number of years. Levi Mason was postmaster at on
time (1916-1922). He and his wife, Gertrude Bland Mason were parents of
three daughters, Mary Louise Mason, Adrienne Mason, who married L. Hulse Van
Hoy, and Maude Bland Mason who married a Mr. Coffey.

5. Martha J. Mason, born 1847

6. Charles Mason, born 1848

Isabelle Mason, born to John Mason Jr., and his second wife, Isabella
Marriott, married William Perry; they lived at Sonora. He was a brother of Emily
A. Perry who married Joseph J. Mason (above). The William Perry’s had several
children, among them being : Ed Perry, who married Anne Orr, they had several
children; Mary Emma Perry, born 1886, died 1973, unmarried, lived at Sonora;
Rose Perry; John Perry; and Wilbur M. Perry, who married a Miss English.